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Field Staff Notes: Nationals, D-Backs, Ausmus, Mariners, Rangers

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New Nationals manager Matt Williams says that the club has "some things we can refine" but is not in need of fixing, he said upon his introduction today. Mark Zuckerman of CSNWashington has a fine breakdown of the proceedings, including Williams' stated emphasis on improving the club's defense and increasing its aggressiveness on the basepaths.

  • Washington will maintain its existing coaching staff under Williams, with two exceptions, Zuckerman further notes. Bullpen coach Jim Lett will be replaced with Matt LeCroy, and Mark Weidemeier — who, like Williams, comes via the Dbacks — will be added to the staff as a defensive guru of sorts. 
  • Meanwhile, the Diamondbacks have announced their staff, according to a team press release. Replacing Williams as the third base coach is Glenn Sherlock. The club also promoted Turner Ward to Hitting Coach and added first base coach Dave McKay, who had most recently served in that capacity for the Cubs.
  • Even as they watched the experienced McKay leave town, the Cubs welcomed Brad Ausmus to Chicago today to interview for their managerial opening, tweets Bruce Levine. The longtime big league catcher has received plenty of attention this offseason, and now joins a list of six candidates to have had their moment to impress the Cubs' brass, as CBSSports.com's Jon Heyman explains.
  • The Mariners are also interested in Ausmus's services, according to a report from Shannon Drayer of ESPN Radio Seattle. Drayer indicates that Ausmus has had an interview already. 
  • Former Mariner Joey Cora is also a possibility to take the helm in Seattle, says Drayer. He has already given one interview and could be in town right now for a second.
  • As the club works to fill its skipper role, it has already quietly jettisoned bench coach Robby Thompson and third base coach Jeff Datz, reports Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times. The former was shown the door last week, while the latter was told he could stay on as a scout but wouldn't keep his uniform for next season. The remainder of the 2013 staff is still in limbo.
  • The Rangers have brought back Bobby Jones to serve in a coaching capacity that remains to be decided, tweets Anthony Andro of FOX Sports Southwest. Jones has bounced between the bigs and various minor league managing roles in the Texas organization.

Diamondbacks Claim Matt Tuiasosopo

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The Tigers announced, via press release, that the D-Backs have claimed infielder/outfielder Matt Tuiasosopo off waivers.

The 27-year-old Tuiasosopo batted .244/.351/.415 with seven homers for the Tigers in 2013, seeing most of his time in left field but also appearing in 13 games at first base and one at the hot corner. Despite being a right-handed swinger, Tuiasosopo hit just .216/.336/.371 against southpaws, and his career numbers against lefties aren't any better: .196/.293/.345.

Rangers Claim Chaz Roe From Diamondbacks

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The Rangers announced, via press release, that they have claimed right-hander Chaz Roe off waivers from the Diamondbacks.

The 27-year-old Roe was selected by the Rockies with the 32nd overall pick in the 2005 draft, but he didn't make his Major League debut until this past season with the D-Backs. The Rockies traded him to the Mariners for Jose Lopez, and Roe signed with Arizona after being released by Seattle.

In 22 1/3 innings for the Snakes this season, Roe posted a 4.03 ERA with 9.7 K/9, 5.2 BB/9 and a robust 57.1 percent ground-ball rate. He averaged 91.4 mph on his fastball and held opposing right-handers to a mere .170/.297/.302 batting line through 66 plate appearances. Dominance over right-handed hitters was nothing new for the Kentucky native, as he held righties to a .184/.274/.330 line 116 minor league plate appearances in 2013 as well.

Quick Hits: Red Sox, A-Rod, Cardenas, D’Backs

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The Boston Red Sox are the 2013 World Series champions, just a season removed from a last-place finish in the AL East.  CBS Sports' Jon Heyman details how the Sox focused on acquiring less-heralded free agents who could handle the pressure of playing in Boston, and almost all of those free agents delivered big contributions throughout the season and through the playoffs.  While the return to good health and good form by several holdover Red Sox stars also played a huge role, several teams will be looking to replicate Boston's free agent strategy in the coming offseason.

Here are some notes from around baseball as the Hot Stove League has officially begun…

  • The Red Sox were immeasurably helped by the "payroll miracle" of their August 2012 blockbuster trade with the Dodgers, Joel Sherman of the New York Post writes.  The Yankees could get a similar "financial reset" if all or most of Alex Rodriguez's 2014 salary is removed from the books via suspension, allowing the Yankees to re-sign Robinson Cano, sign other free agents and also avoid the $189MM luxury tax limit.
  • Rodriguez's appeal hearing may not be decided until late December, Andy McCullough of the Star-Ledger reports, which could impact the Yankees' offseason spending plans.
  • Adrian Cardenas, drafted 37th overall by the Phillies in 2006, walked away from a promising career at age 25 and with just 67 Major League PA to his name.  In a fascinating piece for the New Yorker, Cardenas details the thought process that went into his decision and his gradual disillusionment with the professional side of the game.
  • The Diamondbacks don't have much payroll flexibility for 2014, as The Arizona Republic's Nick Piecoro notes in his breakdown of the Snakes' salary obligations.  Piecoro suggests that the D'Backs could sign free agents by backloading their contracts for 2015 and beyond, when the club has more money coming off the books.
  • The Dominican Republic recently passed a law stating that children of undocumented Haitian immigrants would no longer be considered Dominican citizens, even if they were born in the country.  Jorge Arangure of Sports On Earth investigates how this ruling could make it harder for amateur ballplayers of Haitian descent to obtain the proper visa or citizenship information to play in Major League Baseball.
  • The Pirates can afford to be more patient this offseason, GM Neal Huntington tells Jenn Menendez and Bill Brink of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.  A.J. Burnett's future needs to be decided first, however, since his status will determine the rest of the Buccos' moves.  "If we retain A.J, that will be a significant positive, but also it's going to cost us a good chunk of the available money, and we'll have to react accordingly," Huntington said.
  • The Marlins could fill a few needs by targeting the Angels' Mark Trumbo and Chris Iannetta in trades, MLB.com's Joe Frisaro opines as part of a reader mailbag.
  • The Blue Jays have hired Kevin Seitzer as their new hitting coach, Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star reports.  Seitzer previously worked as the hitting coach for the Diamondbacks and Royals, and he and Jays manager John Gibbons worked together on the K.C. staff from 2009-11.

NL West Notes: Dodgers, Belisle, Crain, Giants

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The MLBTR staff extends our condolences to the friends and family of NBA Hall-of-Fame player and coach Bill Sharman, who passed away today at age 87.  Sharman is best known for his legendary basketball career but he also played in the Dodgers' minor system from 1950-55, doing well enough to earn a late-season callup in 1951.  Sharman was a so-called "phantom ballplayer" (a player who spends time on a Major League roster but didn't actually appear in a game) yet his status afforded him a unique spot in baseball history.  The entire Dodgers bench was ejected for arguing a call on September 27, 1951, thus making Sharman the only player to ever be ejected from a Major League game without appearing in one.

Here are some items from around the NL West, starting with Sharman's old team…

  • J.P. Howell and Nick Punto are the only two of the Dodgers' free agents who Mark Saxon of ESPN Los Angeles predicts will be back with the team next season.  Saxon also predicts the Dodgers will decline Mark Ellis' $5.75MM club option and their side of Chris Capuano's $8MM mutual option.
  • Letting that mostly veteran free agent group go is one of Saxon's five ways the Dodgers can reach their stated goal of getting younger in 2014.  Other methods include trading Andre Ethier and acquiring David Price and Elvis Andrus.
  • The Rockies will explore signing Jesse Crain if he's healthy and will look to re-sign Matt Belisle to a longer-term deal, Troy Renck of the Denver Post writes.  Colorado has a $4.25MM option on Belisle for 2014 but Renck says the team will look to lower Belisle's base salary for next season in as part of a new contract.
  • Renck also outlines several other Rockies offseason needs and notes that while they couldn't manage to sign Cuban first baseman Jose Dariel Abreu, the attempt at least showed that the club is trying and is willing to spend this winter.
  • Also from Renck (via Twitter), he is "fascinated" by the Nationals' reported hiring of Matt Williams and notes that the Rockies came close to hiring Williams as manager last year before going with Walt Weiss.
  • Even before their offseason moves have really begun, the Rockies and Giants are two of three teams projected by ESPN's Jared Cross (Insider subscription required) to have the best chance of improving by at least 20 wins in 2014.  Cross also suggests a pair of free agents who could help the two clubs.
  • A number of Padres topics are explored by Bill Center of the San Diego Union-Tribune during a live chat with readers, including whether the Angels' Mark Trumbo would be a realistic trade option for the Friars as they look to add power to their lineup.
  • USA Today's Bob Nightengale tweets that Dave Duncan is a "perfect fit" as the Diamondbacks' pitching coach and that we should "keep an eye on" him as a candidate for the job.  Duncan took a leave of absence from the Cardinals in 2012 and recently said that he isn't interested in serving as a pitching coach again.
  • In other NL West news from earlier today, the Giants officially announced Tim Lincecum's new contract….Lincecum's feelings about re-signing are included as part of a collection of Giants notes….the Padres designated southpaws Colt Hynes and Tommy Layne for assignment….MLBTR's Steve Adams wrote a Free Agent Profile of Dodgers reliever Brian Wilson.

Quick Hits: Jimenez, McCann, Giants, Diamondbacks

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There is "no chance" that the Indians will sign Ubaldo Jimenez to a long-term deal, and they may not even extend a qualifying offer, Paul Hoynes of the Plain Dealer writes. Tim Lincecum's two-year, $35MM new deal with the Giants demonstrates that, in this market, Jimenez will be out of the Indians' price range. The Indians have an $8MM option on Jimenez for 2014, but Jimenez received the right to void it when the Rockies traded him. The Indians can still use Jimenez, who posted a 3.2 WAR in 2013, so at least extending a qualifying offer would seem to be an easy decision, but Hoynes suggests that even the qualifying offer might be in question. Here are more notes from around the big leagues.

  • The Giants might have interest in Brian McCann as a lefty power source, reports CBS Sports' Jon Heyman. That possibility would, as Heyman notes, be a little strange, since the Giants have one of baseball's best catchers in Buster Posey, and also a very good first baseman in Brandon Belt. A source close to the Giants tells Heyman that "it may depend on how much playing time McCann seeks," which is also somewhat odd, since it's not as if McCann is a borderline starter, or bench fodder. Other clubs surely view McCann as a starter and will be willing to pay him as such.
  • The Diamondbacks' payroll will increase in 2014, perhaps to $100MM, AZCentral.com's Nick Piecoro writes. Aaron Hill, Martin Prado and Brandon McCarthy will all have increased salaries in 2014, which means that the DBacks' payroll will likely come in at around $93MM even before considering any free agents they might add.

Offseason Outlook: Arizona Diamondbacks

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A 9.5 game lead in late June is usually a pretty comfortable cushion.  Well, it's not when one of your divisional rivals goes on a historic tear in the second half of the season.  While the Dodgers went 42-8 over a 50 game stretch, the D'Backs faltered and lost control of the NL West.  This year, they're looking to get to the top of the totem pole and remain there through September.

Guaranteed Contracts

Arbitration Eligible Players (service time in parentheses)

Free Agents

What do the Diamondbacks need to address right from the top?  General Manager Kevin Towers says he'd like to add a power-hitting corner outfielder to the lineup to help protect first baseman Paul Goldschmidt.  The funny thing is, Arizona had that type of player in guys like Justin Upton, Chris Young, and Jason Kubel (even though he was struggling in 2013) but they've all been shipped elsewhere.  Gerardo Parra has right field locked down and Adam Eaton should be slotted in at either center field or left field.  While there are already internal options like the defensively sharp A.J. Pollock and the currently injured Cody Ross, neither one offers the aforementioned pop that they're seeking.  Don't expect the Diamondbacks to go after this year's elite power-hitting outfielders (i.e. Carlos Beltran and Curtis Granderson), but they'll have less pricey options to choose from as well.  Possible fits might include Mike Morse and Corey Hart, even though there are question marks about their ability to play well in the outfield.

If they can't find the right bat at the right price in left or center field, they could get a little creative and move Martin Prado to left and put a bopper at the hot corner instead.  The D'Backs won't find a strong crop of third basemen with pop on the open market, however.  Looking at the trade block, it seems likely that the Padres will listen on Chase Headley this winter as he takes his final turn through arbitration, but it's hard to imagine that San Diego will be willing to move him within the division.  Even if the D'Backs are willing to part with the type of young talent to pry Headley away, they'll have to find the cash to lock him up beyond 2014.  Brewers third baseman Aramis Ramirez could make sense as a trade target.

There' are other ways that the Diamondbacks can take care of their corner outfield situation on the trade market.  Even with free agent Willie Bloomquist likely out of the picture, Arizona has two young shortstops in Didi Gregorius and Chris Owings.  If the D'Backs commit to one player over the other, they could parlay their mini-surplus into something useful elsewhere.  The Pirates could come calling for an upgrade over Jordy Mercer, who wasn't consistently sharp at the plate.  The Reds could get by with Zack Cozart at shortstop, but it also wouldn't hurt to find someone better.  The Cardinals have Pete Kozma and the Mets could hope for a better effort from Ruben Tejada, but you can add those clubs to the mix as well.

Arizona is also working with a surplus of starters and could use that to fill some holes.  Patrick Corbin, Wade Miley, Trevor Cahill, Brandon McCarthy, Randall Delgado, Tyler Skaggs, and top prospect Archie Bradley are all in the fold.  Of course, it'll take a heck of an offer to pry Bradley away from the D'Backs.

The bullpen was supposed to be a major bright spot for the Diamondbacks in 2013 but it didn't turn out that way.  J.J. Putz was in place as the D'Backs' closer for much of the season but his injury troubles gave Brad Ziegler an opportunity to seize the gig after Heath Bell showed that he couldn't hold it down.  There are plenty of quality pitchers already in Arizona, but they have to perform up to their abilities.  Bell, who is now two years removed from his All-Star form, is under contract for one more season.  David Hernandez had an up-and-down year – with the down resulting in a demotion to Triple-A – but the light turned on in the fall as hitters averaged a .405 OPS against him in September.  There could be an opening for a southpaw or two, depending on what the club does with Joe Thatcher and Tony Sipp who are both eligible for arbtration.  It doesn't appear that the bullpen will require a complete overhaul, but a few new faces might be a good idea.  The D'Backs can look into hard-throwing free agents like Jesse Crain to help build a better bridge to Ziegler.

One of the Diamondbacks' lesser priorities this season will be to address the backup catcher situation.  Wil Nieves gave Arizona better offense than expected in 2013 (.297/.320/.369 in 206 plate apperances), but he wasn't sharp defensively.  If the Pirates don't retain John Buck, he could be a more stabilizing force behind the plate in support of Miguel Montero.

Ultimately, the D'Backs probably aren't headed for a major overhaul this winter, but they'll look at add a few key pieces to their talented roster.  With a bit of good health and good luck, Arizona can keep the Dodgers out of their pool in 2014.

Arbitration Eligibles: Arizona Diamondbacks

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Matt Swartz has developed a very accurate model that MLBTR uses to project arbitration salaries, as explained in this series of posts. We've heard from many MLB teams and agencies that reference the projections in their work.  The Diamondbacks are next in our series.  Estimated service time is in parentheses, and estimated 2014 salary follows.

Due to the struggles of the team's other relievers, Ziegler ascended to the Diamondbacks' closer role in July and ended up recording 13 saves and 11 holds.  He projects to earn a nice $5MM salary in his contract year, and it seems possible the D'Backs try to tack on an additional season.

Parra had one of the quietest 4.6 win seasons you'll see, due mainly to his exceptional defense in right and center field.  Defense doesn't generally pay in arbitration, but if Parra picks up another Gold Glove award he might see a salary boost from it.  He also set career bests with 10 home runs and 79 runs scored.  Parra's skillset is destined to remain undervalued, but with free agency coming up after 2015, an extension might be wise for Arizona.

Thatcher was the biggest name the D'Backs received for two-plus years of Ian Kennedy, and he had several rough outings in the weeks following the trade.  The team would look pretty bad in cutting him loose this winter, but a non-tender or trade remains possible.  Sipp seems a good bet to be non-tendered following a lackluster season.  Collmenter, working full-time in relief for the first time, put together a strong 92-inning campaign and will be a part of next year's bullpen.

Hudson had Tommy John surgery in July 2012 and was close to returning this summer when he unfortunately re-tore his elbow ligament.  Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic talked to Reds chief medical director Tim Kremcheck in June, who said the failure rate of a second Tommy John procedure is in the 40-50% range.  In that article, Diamondbacks GM Kevin Towers suggested Hudson has a better chance of returning as a reliever this time.  As Hudson later noted to Piecoro in September, "I’m in a pretty weird situation going into my first year of arbitration."  In that article, Towers talked about being creative in advance of the December 2nd non-tender deadline, and Hudson says he would like to stay.  If nothing can be worked out by the deadline, a non-tender does not seem out of the question.

There is a good amount of uncertainty with Hudson and Thatcher.  But if those two plus Ziegler, Parra, and Collmenter are tendered contracts, the Diamondbacks are looking at an estimated $13.2MM for five arbitration eligible players, plus $600K for Reynolds to bring the total to $13.8MM.  

Manager Notes: Gibson, Tigers, Jewett, Ripken

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With Bryan Price set to take the helm in Cincinnati, Jim Leyland leaving Detroit, and Don Mattingly making something of a power play in L.A., today was a busy day on the field staff front. Here are some other notes on managerial situations around the league:

  • We can expect a trend moving away from high-profile managerial hirings, says Anthony Castrovince of MLB.com. With both of the current World Series contenders relying on under-the-radar options who had experience in their organizations, other teams may follow suit. (Indeed, the Reds seem to have done just that.)
  • He may be a Tigers hero, but Kirk Gibson will remain the Diamondbacks skipper, reports Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic. Both club and manager apparently assured each other that they want to continue the relationship into next year, according to team CEO Derrick Hall, although Hall also acknowledged that the team had declined to exercise options it held to control Gibson through the 2016 season.
  • While that takes one possible option away from the Tigers as they look to find a Leyland replacement, the team will take its time assessing a wide field of potential candidates, writes MLB.com's Jason Beck. The team does have internal options with managerial experience in Gene Lamont and Lloyd McClendon — the latter of whom is a more likely target — and Dombrowski says he has no intentions of "chang[ing] the culture" after a nice run of success. 
  • The Nationals have interviewed the club's third base coach, Trent Jewett, for its opening, reports Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post. He joins bench coach Randy Knorr and outside candidates Matt Williams and Brad Ausmus as options that have had the chance to chat with GM Mike Rizzo. Both Jewett and Knorr are said to have interviewed strongly, Kilgore tweets, but for his money Williams is the odds-on favorite at the moment.
  • Meanwhile, Kilgore further reports, Cal RIpken is not looking like a realistic possibility to take over in D.C. Kilgore also explores whether the opening in Detroit might impact the Nats' plans, concluding that it likely will not.  

Managerial/Coaching Notes: Adair, Rothschild, Williams

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As is the case at the end of every season, there have been quite a few shakeups to coaching staffs around the game. Here's the latest on several situations around the league…

  • Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com reports that Rick Adair will not return as the Orioles pitching coach in 2014. Bullpen coach Bill Castro, who was named the team's interim pitching coach when Adair left the team to be with his dying father, is unlikely to be a candidate. The same goes for rehab coordinator Scott McGregor. The rest of the coaching staff will return, according to Kubatko.
  • The Yankees and pitching coach Larry Rothschild have agreed to terms on a new deal, though nothing has been finalized or announced yet, according to Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News.
  • Kilgore tweets that the Nationals interviewed Diamondbacks third base coach Matt Williams for their managerial opening recently.

Earlier Updates

  • Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic reports that the Angels have hired Don Baylor as their hitting coach. The 64-year-old Baylor has served as the D-Backs' hitting coach since 2011 and has 21 years of coaching experience to go along with a 19-year playing career that saw him take home AL MVP honors when he played for the Angels in 1979. Arizona had asked him to return for 2014, but the Halos have announced that Baylor opted to take the position in Anaheim.
  • Bill Shaikin of the L.A. Times points out some history between Angels GM Jerry Dipoto and Baylor, noting that Baylor was Dipoto's manager when Dipoto served as the Rockies' closer in 1997-98 (Twitter link).
  • The Blue Jays nearing a deal with former Royals hitting coach Kevin Seitzer to fill the same role in Toronto, according to Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star (on Twitter). Seitzer, a career .295/.375/.404 hitter in a 12-year big league career, has experience working with Blue Jays manager John Gibbons. Gibbons served as the Royals' bench coach for part of Seitzer's tenure with the club.
  • Brad Ausmus is on the list of Nationals' managerial candidates, tweets Ken Rosenthal. Rosenthal notes that it's unclear whether or not Ausmus has interviewed, though Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post indicated that the interview has yet to take place (also via Twitter).
  • Kilgore writes in a full article for the Post that as of late last week, the Nats have yet to conduct any interviews. Bench coach Randy Knorr and third base coach Trent Jewett are still the strongest internal candidates, says Kilgore.
  • Arash Markazi of ESPN Los Angeles provides readers with several quotes from Angels skipper Mike Scioscia's appearance on ESPNLA 710 radio. Scioscia says that he and Dipoto went through a series of "aggressive" meetings with ownership before they were informed they would return for the 2014 season. Scioscia said there's "no doubt" that he's on the same page as ownership and the front office after those talks.
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